Bristol head coach Richard Hill said: "When Budge suffered his injury, none of us had even seen an injury of this type before. For a second player to get injured in the same way barely a month later beggars belief.

"I feel for Shaun. He returned from the World Cup and got straight back to work with Bristol. He's been superb for us, has embraced his role as a senior player and I've had no hesitation naming him captain in Matt Salter's absence."

Bristol suffered a double blow in the Harlequins game, with England hopeful Dan Ward-Smith also forced to go under the knife this week after breaking a bone in his hand.

Ward-Smith was back in action after coming through an extensive rehabilitation programme after a major knee injury ruled him out of last season's 6 Nations and World Cup contention.

Hill added: "It's very unlucky for him. The last two seasons have been pretty wretched for him. It's tough for him."

Ryan Grant displayed some impressive singing skills while on tour with the British & Irish Lions. The full release of Lions Raw will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray from October 28th. Pre-order on Amazon.

This clip featuring Simon Zebo will whet your appetite ahead of the much anticipated release of 'Lions Raw', the official Behind the Scenes documentary of the successful 2013 Tour. Full release on October 28th and available on DVD and Blu-Ray.